Now Hillary Clinton has invoked the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy as a reason to stay in the race against Barack Obama. This is beyond the pale, there is NOTHING funny or tongue worthy to invoke any assassination attempt or thought at all. Hillary Clinton should be ashamed of herself.

Really, what is next coming from her? Now playing the fear card? And don't forget Huckabee joking about a potential assassination of Obama. NOT FUNNY AT ALL, FOLKS.

Hillary Clinton today brought up the assassination of Sen. Robert Kennedy while defending her decision to stay in the race against Barack Obama.

"My husband did not wrap up the nomination in 1992 until he won the California primary somewhere in the middle of June, right? We all remember Bobby Kennedy was assassinated in June in California. I don't understand it," she said, dismissing calls to drop out.

This is important due to the fact that, per Al G at The Field, he is the first of 40 Clinton delegates, most from California, that have come to the conclusion to back Obama at the convention and end this.

The Field has learned that Cardoza is the first of a group of at least 40 Clinton delegates, many of them from California, that through talking among themselves came to a joint decision that all of them would vote for Obama at the convention. They have informed Senator Clinton that it’s time to unite around Obama, and that they will be coming out, one or two at a time, and announcing their switch between now and the convention if Senator Clinton doesn’t do the same.

Cardoza is one of the leaders of this effort (which includes not only superdelegates, but here’s something that should set off some paranoia in Camp Clinton: there are pledged Clinton delegates in “The Cardoza 40,” too). One Field Hand reports that during a recent Cardoza fundraising event in California the effort was discussed openly in front of other Democrats. Cardoza’s announcement, today, sent the message that the effort is serious and for real.

This is devastating news for Hillary Clinton. But in all realistic terms, it was about to come down to this. The Clintons are angry, expect a lot of back room dealing, expect the knives to come out behind the scenes, it will get ugly.

This is politics. This is something that Barack Obama is trying to change. It is hard to let go of power and don't think for a moment that this is not what it is about "power". The Clintons have held the Democratic Party for over 16 years, it is hard to let go. That is why today and the many days to come we will hear the Obama/Clinton meme, floating all over the television. Remember who is pushing this, the Clinton Supporters not the Obama Supporters.

That says it all for me.

If you have not seen this video, watch it now before it is snatched off of youtube...

The polls are all over the place. And remember; don’t view these polls as gospel. We saw Clinton leading all of 2007 and look where she is at now. Another thing, a lot of people are not paying attention to this, as last year. Folks will not get engaged until after the conventions when the General Election really starts. So, take these polls at a grain of salt at this time.

Moving on.

::

There are two diaries on the Daily Kos rec list, by RenaRF and dansac. Both looking at what the Clintons really want and why is Hillary in this, still.

I want to go over a few things. First, Florida and Michigan.

Florida and Michigan broke the rules of the DNC, period. There is no putting lipstick on those pigs, which is what happened. They were told in advance, you schedule your primary in January, and you will pay the penalties by stripping your delegates. Well, the delegates were stripped.

When you look back on it, if these two states would have kept their original dates, their voices would have mattered greatly. Next, you must look at why these states jumped the shark anyway. My feeling is that they thought the threat from the DNC would be empty and they would do nothing. Michigan was strictly political, Governor Granholm is a solid Clinton supporter and she purposely changed Michigan a caucus state, to a primary which cost millions of dollars. What ended up happening is that Obama and many other democrats running at the time removed their name from the ballot and Michigan ended up with a mess. Michiganders should blame Granholm for that one.

What should happen to Florida and Michigan? Cut the delegates in half, split the vote and call it a day. And the Obama Campaign has offered an olive branch to give Clinton more delegates, but the Clinton Campaign snubbed this.

Finally, I would be in Clinton’s corner about her absolute resolve in solving the Michigan and Florida dilemma, if she was sincere. And she is not. Clinton Campaign started to figure out the delegate game close to February 5th when she said it would be over and it was not. A far cry from what she told major news organizations that Florida and Michigan won’t and don’t matter. The thing is that it matters now, as she is trying to make the popular vote argument.

What happens on May 31, 2008 at the DNC Rules and Committee Meeting is about how strong the DNC is and will the DNC abide by their own rules. Lastly, remember the Clintons were influential on changing and putting their people in play at the DNC during the McAuliffe tenure, ironically the same rules that they implemented has come back to bite there, you know what.

What does Hillary Want?

dansac implies the VP spot, and I agree with him. Let us be honest here. Do you think Hillary Clinton want to go back to the senate as just another senate number and no power? She does not. In the senate, seniority counts and she is at the bottom, as Obama. If you were Hillary would you want to go back? I would not, without some kind of elevation of power. So, the VP slot is what she wants. Why not? She and Bill still have part of the national stage, something they loved and craved. But there are problems with this.

As the AP is reporting, Obama is silently looking for potential VP picks. As he should. The sooner, the better. We all know the Clintons have not been vetted post Bill’s presidency and a lot of financial questions have swirled around Bill Clinton, especially in regards to donors to the Clinton Library which the Clintons will not release names or donation amounts.

We also must look at Hillary and her tone and position throughout the Democratic Primary. She is on record stating Obama has not passed the commander in chief test/threshold; she is on record praising McCain, elevating him to her stature as being the ones capable for the presidency. These two statements have disqualified her for any VP slot. We can all just imagine a 527 ad with Clinton using her words against Obama, while on his ticket, and Obama have to defend her words against him to the media. Oy!!! Also, imagine a loop of this flip/flop with her Bosnia lie. And if you don’t know what the Bosnia Lie is, just think “sniper fire”. That is a headache waiting to happen.

From Time Magazine, the calls have started from Clinton Supporters that want to jump ship. Remember, many are elected officials, who are pols and go where the wind blows:

Which is why in recent days, quiet calls have started going out to key supporters of Hillary Clinton who are showing signs of wanting to jump ship. Clinton's emissaries point out that she is no longer attacking Barack Obama, and they promise she won't start again.

Well, we all are glad she has silenced her lips against Obama. Why? Because the finger pointing would be at her and what she has said throughout this campaign against a fellow Democrat. And many for the record are still heated at Clinton for this. That anger is warranted.

Again, the Clintons don’t want to leave the national stage.

In Bill Clinton's view, she has earned nothing short of an offer to be Obama's running mate, according to some who are close to the former President. Bill "is pushing real hard for this to happen," says a friend.

Earned? Earned? Earned to be Obama’s VP? She has disqualified herself in every way possible for being Obama’s VP. If we learned anything through this primary season is that we don’t want any more of the bullshit the Clintons have continued to try to sell.

Some of Clinton's own strategists are doubtful that Obama will offer to make her his running mate - in no small part because that would mean bringing Bill aboard. Her presence on the ticket would also undercut Obama's core message of change and his promise of a new brand of politics. However, advisers say that in the interest of unifying the party, there may well be a good argument for tapping one of the Clintons' high-profile supporters, such as Indiana Senator Evan Bayh or Ohio governor Ted Strickland.

That is plausible and doable. But a tip to the Obama Campaign, not Evan Bayh he is more boring than a box of rocks. JMHO

Obama Supporters now is not the time to be asleep at the wheel. After that crazy, batshit speech of Clinton yesterday comparing the Michigan/Florida fiasco to slavery, women’s suffrage is just too much. Her theatrics are beyond the pale.

I give accolades to the Obama Campaign, who has managed to walk around Clinton, move forward, with the utmost patience. I don’t know what Hillary and Bill Clinton want, but VP slot, we definitely must PASS on them.

[UPDATE]Per The Field, Hillary Clinton has been told no to the Vice-Presidential postition.

The Field can now confirm, based on multiple sources, something that both campaigns publicly deny: that Senator Clinton has directly told Senator Obama that she wants to be his vice presidential nominee, and that Senator Obama politely but straightforwardly and irrevocably said “no.” Obama is going to pick his own running mate based on his own criteria and vetting process.

To compare this to slavery, women's suffrage is beyond the pale, it is quite appalling. This brings us back to her trying to minimize Dr. Martin Luther King's influence and involvement of the Civil Rights Act. Was it not for Dr. King standing up and putting his LIFE on the line, that Act would never have been signed. It not only took President Johnson to sign the Act, it took movement of people to make him DO IT.

The only movement and struggle Clinton is having is lack and focus of her campaign. Remember, it is she who made the decisions that have gotten her to this point. She has lost on every metric to attain this nomination and now we are seeing a Hail Mary pass that is just pathetic.

Hillary and Bill Clinton felt and still do that this nomination is theirs, that they are ENTITLED. This rationale from them has not stopped.

It is time for the superdelegates to have a spine and backbone and end this. The longer she stays in this race, spewing and continuing to make crazy, non-sensical accusations, the longer it will be for the Democratic Party to come together as one.

Know anyone in Broward County, Florida? Well, let them know that Barack will be in Broward for a rally on Friday, May 23, 2008. All the details are here.

Obama Wins Oregon......

Barack Obama took a long stride toward history Tuesday, capturing a majority of pledged delegates to the Democratic convention even as he lost Kentucky by a wide margin to Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Obama's big win in Oregon, combined with a share of Kentucky delegates, left him fewer than 100 shy of the 2,026 delegates needed to clinch the party's presidential nomination.

But Obama -- vying to become the first African American to head a major-party ticket -- staked no claim to the nomination, and Clinton showed no sign of standing down.

Instead, Obama celebrated the delegate milestone -- important both psychologically and mathematically -- with a Tuesday-night stop in Iowa, traveling full circle to the state where his candidacy took off with a win in the caucuses that began the nominating fight.

Standing in front of the gold-domed state Capitol, which glowed in the darkness, Obama declared: "Tonight, in the fullness of spring, with the help of those who stood up from Portland to Louisville, we have returned to Iowa with a majority of delegates elected by the American people, and you have put us within reach of the Democratic nomination for president of the United States." continue

Oh, check this out by Al G over at The Field....

The Field can now confirm two facts:

1. Senator Clinton has made direct and private overtures to Senator Obama regarding the path ahead.

2. Keep your eye on superdelegates, particularly in California, but also elsewhere, that had committed to Senator Clinton, but who are gathering together by the exit sign.

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Barack was adopted into Crow Nation. Below, Barack is arriving with his "adoptive parents" Hartford and Mary Black Eagle. Obama was given the name of “Awe Kooda bilaxpak Kuuxshish” which means “One who helps people throughout the land.”

Barack Obama has taken us on an incredible ride. We are so high, that we are afraid to pinch ourselves because it may not be true. He is about to become the Democratic Nominee. And you want to know the best part about it? We put him there.

Iowa. Driving from Illinois to Iowa, I still have the route memorized. The wonderful people of Iowa. Their hopes, dreams, aspirations of change, propelled Barack to where he is today. We owe Iowa, not only a debt, but for being the state that lead the way to change.

I will tell you my story on walking towards the movement. It began with Katrina. The devastation was unimaginable. The horror, grief, shock of the Bush Administration and this country to have our citizens disrespected, dishonored and just dissed. That experience got me off my ass to say, enough of Bush.

So, in the process as the horserace began I was coy and standoffish. I wanted a candidate who can take it to the mat and all the way. I wanted someone different who can MOVE ME to a greater cause than me. I watch, waited and wondered if anyone would emerge. And he did, Barack Obama.

As much as I liked Barack, I needed to know if he was capable of withstanding the Clinton Machine. Let’s face it. The Clintons have run the Democratic Party, as is today, with an iron fist. Why should they withdraw or handover what they, themselves worked for to this date? That question is warranted. So, for me the first test was money.

Barack Obama shocked everyone with his first quarter haul of 26M and then shut everyone up with his second quarter haul of 32M. From that point, I knew I was with him all the way.

But you want to know what has been the most motivating experience of this primary season? The Obama Campaign’s capacity to make us responsible and inclusive of this campaign. They were accountable for every dollar spent. They listen to us. They provided the tools we have had to work with. The Obama Campaign empowered us, yes little old us, to make this campaign the best it could be. And this has not been easy.

Through all the ups and downs, the highs and lows, one thing I have admired about The Obama Campaign is their frankness and honesty. They told us we would not win every race, but that we must work hard. They told us we were the underdog, and we knew it. They provided us information to send to our friends, neighbors, about Barack because people were clueless about him. But for all that has happened this campaign has always lifted us up, when we felt extremely down.

There is something amiss and it smells like change. People want it more than anything, but before they grab it we must make sure they understand it. Change is a word that is hard for many. When you become accustom to the same old thing, the status quo, you begin to believe that you don’t deserve anything else. Folks, I am here to tell you, we deserve it all and more.

After the atrocious 8 years of the Bush Administration, and here is a short list of their greatest hits, if we ever want change we need to stand up fight and grab it.

Lastly, here is the speech that changed everything in Iowa, from the October 2007 Iowa Jefferson-Jackson Dinner. The speech that moved everyone towards Barack. Just sit back, listen and remember why we are doing what we are doing, why Barack and Michelle will be in Des Moines, Iowa on Tuesday, and why we must win this election in November.

I salute each and everyone of you. We did this together. It is not over. We need every single foot soldier for the huge mountain we must climb in November. And climb it to win, we must.

Sunday, May 18, 2008

* drop-off locations for Oregon mail-in ballots, up until 8 p.m., Tuesday, May 20, 2008.** if oregonians want to mail in their ballot it should have been postmarked, Friday, May 16, 2008, use the location drop-offs linked above

Democratic White House hopeful Barack Obama on Monday promised no let-up in US support for Israel, after his Republican foe repeatedly claimed he is the favored pick of the Islamist movement Hamas.

"You will not see, under my presidency, any slackening in commitment to Israel's security," Obama said in an interview with The Atlantic magazine online.

"My position on Hamas is indistinguishable from the position of Hillary Clinton or John McCain. I said they are a terrorist organization and I've repeatedly condemned them," Obama said.

"I mean what I say: since they are a terrorist organization, we should not be dealing with them until they recognize Israel, renounce terrorism." continue

Characteristics of an Obama, Vice-Presidential CandidateA lot has been written lately of who should be Barack’s running mate, etc. Personally, we don’t know who that person will be for various reasons. Until we know the Democratic Platform, which is what Obama and his running mate will embrace, we don’t know who the candidate will be. In stating that there are a few things we can consider, due to how Barack has run his campaign.

First off, any vice-presidential candidate will have to embrace the one theme that has been constant throughout the Obama Campaign, change. This is easy because that is who and what Barack Obama represents, change. The vice-presidential candidate must not only embrace and represent, change, the person when he/she steps on the stage with Barack Obama, must look and be change. Any long time insider would not only contradict the message but bring doubt about the word change in whole.

Second, any vice-presidential candidate must be on the same wave length, thought process and democratic mandate as Barack Obama. There must not be any second guessing about the vice-presidential candidate, wondering if there is any personal agenda, etc. This person must back up Barack Obama and the mandate 150%. No questions and no wonderment allowed.

Third, the vice-presidential candidate is not the lead, the presidential candidate is. There must not be any questions or concerns about that. They must look as if they will work together but more importantly mean it.

Lastly, the vice-presidential candidate must be a partner and for all intention purposes, they must respect, admire and like each other. I know many say “look at JKF/LBJ”, I have and it was 1960, this is 2008. After the disastrous Bush II years, people do want and should be given candor, honesty and frankness and this must exude from the party’s ticket. These two people must trust each other, period. No back-biting, knife fighting, etc. This is what we are trying to run against, not trying to merge.

In the end it is Barack Obama’s choice of who his running mate will be. I am sure he knows how all factions feel at this time as the primary is winding down. But more importantly, he will choose a person whom he feels can win with him in November. Let’s trust his judgment; he has not done too badly thus far.

Senator Barack Obama continued the “regular guy who does regular guy things” portion of his campaign tour here, visiting a local billiards hall where he proved that his pool skills are better than his bowling skills.

But even in that light-hearted setting, he was confronted with his perceived vulnerability in this state: that white blue-collar voters here still have questions about his background.During a short news conference right near the bar at Schultzie’s Billiard’s, a local television reporter for WCHS TV asked him about “The challenges of attracting voters in this state _ blue collar, white voters in this state.”

“They think you are un-American,’’ he said. “How do you get those voters? Democratic voters?”

Mr. Obama responded in detail: “We just have to get information out. Hopefully they’ll watch your program tonight. They’ll know that I’m a practicing Christian. They’ll know that my grandfather fought in World War II and I was raised to love America and all these phony emails talking how I don’t pledge allegiance are just political smears.”

A bit later, another reporter asked, “How problematic are those rumors that you were talking about earlier that you don’t pledge allegiance, that you’re a Muslim? They’re out there.”

Mr. Obama said, “They’ve been out there since the beginning of this campaign. This is something that has been systematically fed into the bloodstream. We notice these e-mails get sent out in each successive state that we were campaigning in, which indicates that it is not just a random sort of viral thing. I think you know this is a dirty trick that folks are playing on voters.”NYT continue

We now are all aware of President Bush’s assessment and/or statement of Barack Obama and the Democratic Party as appeasers or playing “appeasement”.

While in Israel celebrating its 60th Anniversary, Bush compares Obama to Nazi Appeasers. Not only was this a crazy ass statement to make, but he was the one who ended up looking and sounding ridiculous. And he took major hits for this loose usage of language from the main stream media and print press.

"We have heard this foolish delusion before," Bush said in remarks to Israel's parliament, the Knesset. "As Nazi tanks crossed into Poland in 1939, an American senator declared: 'Lord, if only I could have talked to Hitler, all of this might have been avoided.' We have an obligation to call this what it is — the false comfort of appeasement, which has been repeatedly discredited by history."

Then Obama Campaign weighed in:

"It is sad that President Bush would use a speech to the Knesset on the 6Oth anniversary of Israel's independence to launch a false political attack. It is time to turn the page on eight years of policies that have strengthened Iran and failed to secure America or our ally Israel."

"Instead of tough talk and no action, we need to do what Kennedy, Nixon and Reagan did and use all elements of American power -- including tough, principled, and direct diplomacy -- to pressure countries like Iran and Syria. George Bush knows that I have never supported engagement with terrorists, and the President's extraordinary politicization of foreign policy and the politics of fear do nothing to secure the American people or our stalwart ally Israel."

Of course many Democratic Leaders weighed in, but it was Senator Joe Biden that really handed the Bush Administration their asses on a plate:

“This is bullshit, this is malarkey. This is outrageous, for the president of the United States to go to a foreign country, to sit in the Knesset ... and make this kind of ridiculous statement.”

“Yes, there have been appeasers in the past, and the president is exactly right, and one of them is Neville Chamberlain,'’ Mr. McCain told reporters on his campaign bus after a speech in Columbus, Ohio. “I believe that it’s not an accident that our hostages came home from Iran when President Reagan was president of the United States. He didn’t sit down in a negotiation with the religious extremists in Iran, he made it very clear that those hostages were coming home.'’

The Bush Administration attempted to back peddle and state the remark was not towards Obama, but Obama put Bush and McCain on notice:

Finally, the icing on the cake is given to us, thanks to Chris Matthews of Hardball (MSNBC) and the right wing "talking idiot" Kevin James. Caution: Make sure you have your history in check before going on this show.

After watching that unloaded, talking point idiot, no wonder the Republicans have nothing further to say. The Republicans are as sorry as that talking no nothing “Kevin James”, and as one person wrote, “he calls himself a lawyer!!! Where did he graduate from? Rush Limbaugh U?”

We all got energized, legitimized, after viewing and listening to this idiot, for real.

well, the photo above reminds me of 'looking through the window'. when we look through the window, we see ourselves. we may not like what we see, or we may be proud of what we see. i say, barack is very proud of what he sees, as we all should be. he has run a great grass roots campaign, he has energized the democratic base, he has brought millions of new voters to the movement, and he is an honest, stand up guy. that is worth 'looking through the window'.

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